Sunday, July 26, 2009

Abhishek Bachchan


Early life

Abhishek Bachchan is the son of Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and actress Jaya Bachchan; his elder sister is Shweta Bachchan-Nanda (b. 1974). He was born in Feb 5, 1976. His grandfather, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a well-known poet of Hindi literature. The original last name of his parental family is Srivastav, Bachchan being the pen name used by his grandfather. However, when his father Amitabh entered films, he did so under his own father's pen name. Bachchan is of Punjabi Sikh heritage from his grandmother Teji's side, while also of Bengali Kulin Brahmin descent from his mother Jaya Bhaduri's side.

Bachchan was dyslexic as a child. He attended Jamnabai Narsee School and Bombay Scottish School in Mumbai, Modern School, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, and Aiglon College in Switzerland. He then went to the U.S. to complete his education at Boston University, but left midway to pursue his acting career when his father's company, ABCL, was facing trouble.


Personal life

Abhishek Bachchan with wife Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

In October 2002, at Amitabh Bachchan's 60th birthday celebration, Abhishek Bachchan and Karisma Kapoor announced their engagement. The engagement was called off in January 2003.

After much speculation concerning their relationship, Bachchan and Aishwarya Rai announced their engagement on January 14, 2007. The couple were married on April 20, 2007, according to traditional Hindu rites of the South Indian Bunt community, to which Rai belongs. Token North Indian and Bengali ceremonies were also performed. The wedding took place in a private ceremony at the Bachchan residence Prateeksha, in Juhu, Mumbai, but was heavily covered by the entertainment media. Bachchan's paternal grandmother Teji Bachchan died on December 21, 2007.